Two struggling Major League Soccer teams hope to rise in the Eastern Conference standings Saturday night when CF Montreal host the New York Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls (1-2-5, 8 points) are the current comeback kings of MLS, having come from behind to avoid losing a match a league-high four times this season. In their past two games, they’ve scored a goal in the 89th minute or later to turn a loss into a draw.
Last week at home, Omir Fernandez scored in the 89th minute for a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. The week before, Tom Barlow scored in the 17th minute of second-half stoppage time for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Red Bulls will be without forward Dante Vanzeir, who is to serve the second game of a six-game suspension for using racist language in the game against San Jose.
Fans of the club remain unhappy with the club’s statements on the matter, and walked out of the team’s match last week.
“They’re such a special part of the atmosphere around here,” Red Bulls midfielder Cameron Harper told New York area soccer site Hudson River Blue. “They’re the fans that have been here since Day 1. It was sad to see it but I understand. It’s a tough time for the club right now. The fans have the right to feel the way they feel. Hopefully we can come to a compromise.”
Montreal (1-6-0, 3 points) has the worst goal differential in the league at minus-14, having scored three goals this season and allowed 17.
The three goals all came in the same match, a win over Philadelphia. Montreal is the first MLS team in history to fail to score in six of its first seven matches.
“The first thing to do is not to concede a goal,” coach Hernan Losada told the club website. “Then, we will have to be efficient offensively because we are facing a strong team, physically very strong and that takes few goals. If we do not take goals, we will have more chances to win the three points at home.”
–Field Level Media